The online ramblings of Housebuilder's Bible author Mark Brinkley. The paper version is updated every two years and is widely available via UK bookstores and Amazon

14 Nov 2014

Eco Bollocks Award No 9: Clear Heater Units

Recently, I've become aware of some striking claims being made for electric radiant heating. Like a new way of heating homes has been discovered that is way more efficient than anything else that we have come across before. I think not.
The practice of using radiant heating is not new and it seems to work very well in many places. But claims that is somehow magically more efficient than other forms of heating is, in my opinion, pure baloney.
Take a look at this website. Clear Heater Systems have a neat looking wall panel radiator which they claim will save you a pot of money. They claim that you can save up to 65% against gas heating on a three-bed semi, and up to 90% on electric heating on the same house. Impressed? Let's investigate.
Their claims are apparently backed-up by a piece of academic research by a chap from Leeds University which, at first glance, looks very compelling. It concludes: Overall, the results that we have produced show the Logicor Clear Heating System in a good light. They certainly do.
However, if you read the report carefully, you can see that it's not quite all that it appears to be in its conclusion. The report is based on an analysis of the energy used in 53 properties in the north of England which have been fitted with the Clear Heater units. The results are, however, not being compared with properties heated by other methods, but with an estimated heat loss for each of these 53 properties, based on their own calculations using standard U-values. What this tells you is not how efficient Clear Heater units are but how inaccurate U-value calculations can be if used inappropriately. They are a useful tool for working out maximum heat loads, but not for predicting annual heating bills.

The methodology is even made explicit within the report. Buried away on page 4, under the heading Statistical Analysis, the author states that the study is not a measure of savings against competing heating systems but rather a measure of performance against theoretical heat losses. With the emphasis on the word theoretical. You'd have to be a bit of a Sherlock Holmes to figure out that the apples here are not being compared with other apples, but with a load of dodgy oranges. And it's on this basis that they claim that you can save pots of money against gas heating. Which is frankly incredible because the Clear Heater Units are electric radiators, albeit with a very thin carbon ceramic heating element sandwiched between two sheets of toughened glass. Much as they would have liked to, Logicor haven't managed to change the laws of physics and, for just hinting that they might have, they get a House 2.0 Eco Bollcocks award.

Hi Mark, I am sorry to attempt contact with you via your blog. I am trying to obtain a copy of your House Builders Bible, but I am having difficulty contacting Ovolo, as they will not return my calls, or respond via Amazon. I wondered if you could in any way assist/advise me. I really am keen to read your book, but I've never experienced such communication problems with book distributors/publishers before as I am now with Ovolo. I realise I cannot post my email address here, but if you could respond to me via your blog I would greatly appreciate it. Failing that, please consider raising the communication issue with Ovolo on my behalf, and post on your blog a recommended up to date contact method for Ovolo. I have tried their 01480 891777 telephone number and left voice messages for two days, but no one responds. Hoping you can help, with thanks. Sean

Hi mark we purchased the clear heating system a year ago as we moved into a new 4 bed detached property and the company I was a director of worked in the energy efficiency market. From day one we had problems and it took 2 weeks to install the system. Upshot to all this is that instead of a 65% saving on a wet system we have been hit with a bill of over 600% on what we expected. We complained month in month out to no avail and the 'no quibble return' meant nothing from the ceo Dave Bowen and their marketing head Paul Taylor who was also director of the distributer Heat Save. We have now replaced the system with a brand new wet system and radiators and the bills are a fraction of the logicor system. Interestingly the actual IR radiators are bought from China. We have recently notified the 'ripoff Britain' bbc program who are interesting in adding our story in the new year. Would you be interested in being part of this program? I have given logicor and Dave Bowen every possible chance to remove and refund but they won't budge. Our house is g rated and should never have been sold too, we have been miss sold from day one.

My mother-in-law was convinced by Solar Fusion to install the Clear Heater System. Cost was £15,000 and running it is costing a fortune. Who is your contact at Rip-Off Britain as we'd like to add to your case before they mis-sell to someone else?

Hi, We have had exactly the same problems, we have a 4 bedroom detached and my latest electricity bill came in at £2200!! Can I also add that the reason we opted for this system is because we also have solar panels. We had problems with the system from day 1, but the guarantee appears to be worthless. I have now started court proceedings.

Hi I bought this system several years ago on the promise of huge savings needles to say after paying in excess of £8000 it ended up a complete nightmare costing me a fortune to run, the firm that installed it originally closed down even though they started up again a week later on the same sight under another name how can this be right ? I have since took the hole system out and stacked it in a spare room, finally like to point out I contacted Logicor they stated that since they never install it they would do nothing?

Wow I am so glad to have have found people with similar problems I live in a housing association flat and our associations decided to put it in as a promise our bills would be dramatically decreased in comparison to storage heaters what a lie that was pretty sure this whole estate would be happy to be involved in the programme

I've had the system in for two years at the cost of nearly £10,000... When it works it is good, however I have already had two heaters replaced because they have gone wrong and since 11th January i have has no heating... We had a storm causing a low voltage on the mains electric.the company who installed the system are no more. Logicor themselves have checked the system over the internet through the controller and say 5 heaters have blown diodes and they are £120+vat each to replace and £350+vat for an engineer. Only 3 heaters were turned on at the time... Now i expected this to be under the 20 yer guarantee... guess what..it isn't! Surely if a fluctuating voltage was going to cause damage shouldn't they have put some kind of protection in place either in the heaters or on the outgoing supply from the meter??? I'm glad its not been a particualy cold winter... and i don't have young or elderly people in my home!!! Beating my head against a brick wall is more satisfying than trying to get this sorted!!!